Dakota (1945)

In the year of 1871, the high-stakes world of John Devlin, a seasoned gambler, intertwines in an unexpected union with the ambitious Sandra "Sandy" Poli, the offspring of an immigrant turned railroad magnate, Marko Poli. Propelled by the prospect of the railroad extending into the untamed Dakota territory, Sandy masterminds a plan to invest their joint savings of $20,000 in land options, aiming to sell to the expanding railroad for a hefty profit. Their journey to Ft. Abercrombie unravels a web of intrigue as they cross paths with Jim Bender and Bigtree Collins, the unscrupulous rulers of Fargo. Aware of their ruthless tactics to maintain their dominion, Devlin fears their plot to displace the local farmers by igniting their properties, ravaging their wheat, and conveniently pinning these atrocities on the native Indians. As they continue their voyage northward aboard the 'River Bird,' they forge an unlikely alliance with Captain Bounce, a grizzled old sailor with a fiery spirit. Yet, danger lurks around the corner as two of Bender's minions, Slagin and Carp, forcibly seize John's $20,000 under the threat of their guns. Captain Bounce's daring pursuit of the robbers leads to the unfortunate wrecking of his boat on a treacherous sandbar. The stage is then set in Fargo, where the land wars ignite, drawing John into an alliance with the beleaguered wheat farmers against Bender's menacing gang. Dodging numerous assassination attempts, and a cunning frame-up for murder by Collins, Devlin must navigate this perilous landscape, where fortunes shift as swiftly as the Dakota winds.

Dakota is a western movie featuring John Wayne.

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